Birmingham City vs Leeds United – Preview

Leeds pair Steve Morison and Michael Brown are expected to return to contention for the game

Reverse Fixture

Blues won 1-0 at Elland Road at the end of October thanks to a thirty yard screamer from on loan Leroy Lita.

Recent Form

Blues are 12th and have three wins and two draws from their last six games however all those wins have come away from home. The last home win was at the beginning of March.

Leeds are 11th one point ahead. They have won their last two games but before that they were on a four game losing streak.

Outlook

Three games to go, fifty seven points and we still can’t consider ourselves safe from relegation or out of the playoff race. Both look very unlikely though we could still finish anywhere between 8th and 18th. Tuesday’s win against a Bristol City side who had already given up has almost sealed safety but being Blues I won’t feel safe until it’s mathematically impossible for relegation to strike. I remember us being in a good position with three games to go in 2011 and we know what happened then. It really is amazing how tight this division is with sides looking doomed one week and safe the next. My tips to join Bristol City are the current sides in the drop zone Barnsley and Huddersfield mainly because they play each other on the last day of the season. What a match that’s going to be.

Standing in the way of us sealing safety at home tomorrow are Leeds United. I’m hoping that “New Manager Effect” will have worn off by now as they have had a revival under Brian McDermott. I usually think the sacking a manager so late in the season is a nonsense but in Leeds’ case it seemed to have worked because without those two wins they would be sitting just above the drop zone now. If McDermott can get on with Ken Bates and handle the expectation of the fans they will probably do well next season. Luke Varney has scored a couple of goals recently so we will have to keep an eye on him. Their away record is not great though with only three wins all season, the last being in December. They did win at St Andrews in the FA Cup in January and we will be hoping not to repeat that performance.

If we are to win and climb the table we will have to overturn our poor recent home form. It’s been a complete turnaround from being the side that rarely lost at home to one that is more comfortable on its travels. In 2013 Blues have won just twice at St Andrews in all competitions and it’s difficult to work out why. One reason may be that we work better as a 4-5-1 counter attacking side but at home Lee Clark feels pressure to play a more attacking formation that sees us getting overrun in midfield. This definitely happened against Millwall. Other reasons that have been suggested are the fans and the negative atmosphere at the club. I’m not sure this is the case though as while attendances are down the place wasn’t exactly bouncing last year either. Perhaps the players can play with a little more freedom now that the pressure is reduced. After playing the same team for the last two games I would expect a couple of changes tomorrow in midfield and up front. Injuries will restrict Lee Clark’s options though so it’ll still probably be Morgaro Gomis and “Player of the Season” Wade Elliot in midfield. Nathan Redmond should remain on the right even though Chris Burke is fit again.

End of season game, Blues lacklustre home form and two sides with little to play for. This one has draw written all over it.

One Comment to “Birmingham City vs Leeds United – Preview”

Butland deserves his nomination because whilst he might have cost a few goals with errors he’s kept us in more games with his keeping. He’s the only player to have appeared in every league match this season for the team and one of only four players to have made more than forty appearances for the club this season with only Wade Elliott having made more. That level of games shows his consistence in performance in what has been an inconsistent season for Blues overall.